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Elongated Man
Elongated Man was a member of the Justice League after the Thanagarian invasion. History Like fellow League member Plastic Man, he had the ability to stretch his body to tremendous lengths — a fact that may have created something of a rivalry between the two. In addition to his powers of elasticity, Ralph is also a skilled detective; as such, he has sometimes likened himself to a combination of Plastic Man and Batman. During the League's battle with Mordru, Ralph found himself partnered with Booster Gold and assigned to crowd control duty. He was later called away to join the main battle, and apparently played a pivotal role in defeating the evil sorcerer — although Ralph would later humbly describe his actions as "stretching in the right place at the right time". Ralph was also a close friend of the Flash, and the two would often play Brawlin' Bots, a children's game, while complaining about how the other League members wouldn't take them seriously. Background information In JLU, Ralph wears the third of four costumes he wore in the comics continuity. His original costume was solid purple and featured a mask. He switched an outfit of primarily red (with black and gold trim and no mask) around the time he joined the Justice League of America. He wore this costume (purple and white with the "EM" insignia) during his time in Justice League International. In Justice League Europe, with Hal Jordan as the leader, he wore another purple outfit with a mask and a darker E on the shirt. He wore the mask as a joke, as his identity was public. He went back to the third after the dissolution of the Justice League during Zero Hour. He would switch back to the second, most recognized costume later. In the comic book mini-series Identity Crisis, Atom's ex-wife, Jean Loring, killed Elongated Man's wife Sue Dearbon-Dibny, which plunged him into a deep depression, also because she had just discovered herself pregnant with the couple's first child at the time. Ralph had tried to resurrect her at least twice: Once through an underground sect whose main goal was to revive Superboy (Superman's clone created by Cadmus in the wake of his apparent death), and another time by using one of Dr. Fate's spells, during which he was killed by Neron. Ralph's spirit was reunited with Sue's, while their bodies were raised by Green Lantern rogue Black Hand as members of the Black Lantern Corps in the story arc Blackest Night, and were destroyed in battle with their friends. Notably, his friendship with the Flash in the DCAU continuity seems to harken back to his relationship with Barry Allen, Wally West's predecessor in the legacy of the Flash, with whom Ralph was best friends. Ralph was also something of a mentor for Wally as Kid Flash in those days, and the two often teamed-up and solved cases together. Following Barry's death during "Crisis on Infinite Earths", their relationship was strained as Ralph constantly compared Wally to Barry after Wally had taken over the role of the Flash. After an initial rough patch when they both joined "Justice League Europe", the two mended fences and remained trusted friends until Ralph's death. Appearances * "Initiation" * "Fearful Symmetry" * "This Little Piggy" * "The Greatest Story Never Told" * " " * "The Once and Future Thing Part One: Weird Western Tales" * "The Ties That Bind" * "Clash" * "Flashpoint" * "Divided We Fall" * "Shadow of the Hawk" * "The Great Brain Robbery" * "Destroyer" External links * Category:A to Z Category:Individuals with the ability to shapeshift Category:Justice League members Category:Metahumans